Let’s not let this happen again

The weekend before our recent Town Council election, a campaign letter was distributed to island residents. It was illegal because it was unsigned. It was also illegal because it was placed in mail boxes, which are only to be used by the post office.

The letter was factually incorrect and distributed at a time that made public response impossible. This sort of shady political maneuver has been a part of national politics but has never been seen on Jamestown. We have always been a community that openly discussed our differences and let the electorate decide the issues on their merit. What a disappointment to tarnish our discourse with dirty tricks.

More importantly, however, any illegal tampering with the election process is an assault on our democracy. Free and fair elections are arguably the most important tenet that this country stands upon.

As a community, let’s not let this happen again. Let’s make sure the illegal campaigners are caught and in future elections, let’s make sure the information we use to choose a candidate is worthy of our consideration. Nancy CloudJamestown